It's the dog days of summer! Patti and her canine companion, Lucy, usually like to visit Bayfront Park for an afternoon stroll but with the ongoing effects of red tide, they opted for Arlington Park this week. (Latest on red tide below.) Lucy, 6, is a schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle mix) and a certified seizure service companion dog. Lucy likes to travel (80+ trips with her mistress), is learning doggie commands in Spanish, French and Italian, and like Patti, enjoys long walks in the park.

Red Tide Update With 42.16 miles of waterfront and shoreline within our city, we continue to monitor the serious outbreak of red tide and have mobilized cleanup efforts to respond the best we can with assistance from Sarasota County. The red tide odor and volume of dead fish varies day to day, sometimes hour to hour, with smells reported as far east as I-75. Crews will clear an area of washed up marine creatures, only for more to wash ashore in a short time.

Inspecting the waterways impacted by red tide.

With the effects lingering much longer than anyone anticipated, we're weighing options and identifying funding to procure equipment and hire extra laborers and contractors as needed to assist with the cleanup. This is a significant unanticipated expense and we're determining funding options with the hope of recouping some dollars from the state with our local State of Emergency in effect for this natural disaster.

The City is committed to cleaning up public spaces as warranted

Some residents are using long nets along private seawalls to remove dead fish.

including Bayfront Park, Eloise Werlin Park, Bird Key and Indian Beach Sapphire Shores. The waterways and canals are being monitored. The County will continue to clean the public areas of Lido Beach.

During this morning's boat tour of citywide impacted bayous and canals, we observed residents using nets along private seawalls to remove the dead fish. To help with cleanup on private property, the City is offering solid waste assistance. Plastic bags may be placed outside your cart for pickup. Please make sure they're securely closed and weigh under 50 pounds. Unbagged fish will not be collected.

The City is also offering special pickups at no extra cost on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. To schedule

Public Works is offering extra pickups at no extra cost and allowing tied bags to be placed curbside.

a pickup, please call 941-955-2325. This additional service will remain in effect during the local red tide State of Emergency.

Red tide hot buttons are located on the homepage of the City's website: www.SarasotaFL.Gov. The information is updated as frequently as necessary regarding temporary closures at Lido Beach and Bayfront Park.

As of this writing, Sarasota Memorial Hospital and state and county health agencies are reporting no upticks in hospital admissions or

With lifeguards on duty at Lido Beach.

emergency room visits known to be related to red tide, although it clearly irritates the eyes and lungs to various degrees of individual sensitivities.

A big thank you to our dedicated City employees and those with the County who are still out there working in these tough conditions -- some with breathing masks strapped to their faces to safeguard their respiratory systems, as I saw last weekend when I toured Lido Beach.

2.

St. Armands Garage - Going Vertical Vertical construction is now underway at the site of the new St. Armands Parking Garage.

The City broke ground in May on the much-anticipated garage at 47 N. Adams Drive. The project is the result of the City's collaboration with St. Armands merchants, property owners and residents to address parking needs in this shopping and restaurant district.

The four-story garage - which will house 503 parking spaces, including adjacent surface parking - is expected to be completed in December.

The St. Armands Parking Garage is on track for a December opening.

Construction is being done out of season to minimize impacts to parking availability in St. Armands. The $12 million project is being funded through a special assessment on commercial land owners and paid parking, which will begin when the garage is open.

New parking meters and pay stations will be installed in the St. Armands parking district later this fall but won't become active until the garage opens, so the community can become familiar with them in advance. The meters are also now on display in the lobby at City Hall for anyone who would like to try them out.

U.S. 41 Water Main Replacement As part of our ongoing U.S. 41 AC Water Main Replacement Project, several homes and businesses along the U.S. 41 South corridor will have their potable water service temporarily interrupted over the next several weeks.

These necessary interruptions should only last for a few hours (up to four hours, typically) as crews will be completing new tie-in connections for these locations. All affected customers will be given advance notice, typically one to two weeks, of the temporary shutdowns and any mandatory boil water notices that may be issued.

This is the final phase of the pipeline replacement work, with asphalt street restoration to commence shortly after the tie-ins are complete. The work is scheduled to be finished in late November.

Crews working on the U.S. 41 water main replacement.

The project updates and replaces approximately 20,000 linear feet -- 3.78 miles -- of water mains and related infrastructure that is more than 40 years old, from Payne Park to Hibiscus Street. Many of these water distribution mains are composed of asbestos cement (AC) pipe material that has required an increasing number of repairs in recent years.

For more information, contact William Swick with the City of Sarasota Utilities Department at 941-365-2200, ext. 6310, or visit www.us41watermainsrq.com.

We're getting close to opening a new dog park at Gillespie Park! The sign is up announcing the Canine Club, the fencing and shade structures are installed as well as water fountains for man's best friend. Throughout the summer, the Parks & Rec Department has been working diligently on this new neighborhood amenity, which is sure to attract many residents, both two- and four-legged. The adjacent basketball court will be resurfaced and the final touches put on the dog park before it opens sometime in mid-September. This will be the second dog park in the city limits, with the other located at Arlington Park.

CodeRED - Registration Reminder With the height of hurricane season still a month away, we'd like to encourage you to register for CodeRED, our emergency notification system operated in conjunction with Sarasota County.

Those who register, at no charge, can receive phone calls, text messages or emails about emergency situations including severe weather alerts, significant traffic disruptions, boil water advisories, and other critical events.

To enroll, visit the Sarasota County website www.SCGov.net/CodeRED. You'll be asked to provide your name, address and phone number to receive CodeRED alerts.

Please consider sharing this information with your neighbor, to help keep our community safe and informed.

2.

Public Art: 'Spirality' The Public Art Committee this week unanimously approved a substantial sculpture to fulfill the public art requirement for a new development called The BLVD.

'Spirality' will be a 20-foot tall steel spiral that will be cut and designed by artist James Kandt to represent ocean coral. Patterned layers will reflect and shift positions as one passes by. More information about the piece and artist is available online.

Spirality by James Kandt will be placed in public view at The Blvd.

The BLVD is a residential-mixed use development with 51 condominiums and an estimated $69 million total construction value. While the maximum required public art contribution for this development is $250,000, the developer is exceeding that amount and investing $275,000.

Once The BLVD is constructed, the sculpture will be placed in public view next to the building at the corner of U.S. 41 and Boulevard of the Arts. The artist anticipates having the piece finished by December 2019.

3.

Marina Jack - RLTCC Partnership Marina Jack, a longtime City leasehold and significant community asset, approached the City recently about developing a partnership with Robert L. Taylor Community Complex to introduce youngsters to life on the water and associated careers.

Marina Jack and Bayfront Park on back-to-back days. First, the kids boarded the Marina Jack II for an educational lunch-and-learn cruise. Several speakers, including the Marina Jack general manager, vessel captain, and executive chef, spoke about diverse career opportunities on the water and provided insight into the education and work ethic needed for such a career path.

The next day, the campers experienced a fun afternoon of kayaking, led by a team with Marina Jack. For most of the teens, this was their first introduction to this recreational water sport and a good opportunity to expand their horizons.

Thanks to Marina Jack for this important community outreach. Plans are in the works to not only continue the program next year but to expand it to include teens throughout the city.

4.

Bobby Jones - American Course Improvements To boost the playability of our historic municipal golf course, Bobby Jones Golf Club, and attract golfers, the American Course will be temporarily closed starting Monday, August 13, to address drainage issues that have long plagued the fairways.

When it rains at Bobby Jones, the water pools on the fairways and

Irrigation issues have led to the poor conditions seen on the fairway at No. 7 on the American Course.

does not drain properly. A heavy downpour can close the course for a couple of days. So, all 18 fairways will be corrected beginning next week.

This is a short-term corrective measure that will provide much-needed relief while the Bobby Jones master plan is finalized and executed.

The American Course is expected to reopen by December in time for the height of the busy golf season.

5.

Wayfinding - Kiosk Demo If you're out and about downtown the next few days you may come across a new digital kiosk at the northwest corner of North Lemon Avenue and Main Street, outside Mattison's City Grille.

The wayfinding kiosk will be in place at Lemon Avenue and Main Street through Wednesday.

The City is testing this kiosk, which features two-sided, interactive LCD displays. Users can view videos, pull up an interactive map of restaurants and businesses, take a selfie, access the City's website and more. It currently features some content from other cities, but in the future it would be programmed to highlight Sarasota locations and amenities.

We're evaluating these digital kiosks as part of an existing wayfinding project, and we may permanently install them here and at some other locations around the City. We hope citizens will have a chance to check out this demo and share their feedback, either by entering it directly at the kiosk or taking a very short survey online at sarasotafl.gov/services/kiosk. The kiosk at Lemon and Main will be in place through Wednesday.

6.

#CityHallSelfie Day - August 15Next week, City employees will be taking part in #CityHallSelfie Day, a national social media campaign that highlights civic pride and public service.

Employees are invited to take a selfie photo while they're on the job at City Hall or one of our other great City assets, and we'll be showcasing them all day Aug. 15 on the City's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Citizens can get involved too, by posting their own selfies using the hashtag #CityHallSelfie and tagging "City of Sarasota, Government" on Facebook or @CityofSarasota on Twitter.

We're proud of our more than 700 employees who are so dedicated to serving our citizens, and we look forward to this fun opportunity to feature them and our amazing City.

Van Wezel: Shows on Sale Now!

The following is a list of shows through December 2018. To view the entire Van Wezel season, visit www.VanWezel.org

SCAS LINKS

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Dunfermline Scotland 2016- Click To See More

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Tel Mond, Israel Visit

Vladimir, Russia

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Mission Statement

The mission of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, Inc. (SCAS) is to foster international relationships between Sarasota and cities that have similar interests by creating exchanges in areas of culture, education, tourism, business and government. SCAS’s objective is to develop respect, understanding and cooperation through citizen diplomacy.
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Tour Merida, Mexico Complete Jan 24-Feb 1, 2015

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THE BAGPIPES ARE CALLING YOU TO SCOTLAND!

Dunfermline City Director Pauline Mitchell, a 40-year connoisseur of Scotland is organizing a visit to majestic Dunfermline, the Scottish Sister City of Sarasota and a city of four Scottish Kings, a Saint, and The Star Spangled Scotsman, Andrew Carnegie who, born from humble beginnings came to rise to a Tycoon who gave away $350,000,000 of his fortune.

Our organized 12 day Tour will also take you to where CASTLES tell stories, LOCHS have deep secrets and BATTLEFIELDS whisper of Victory and Defeat. A show like no other, the famous ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO is an unforgettable experience and is in our program.

Early August 2016, come along with your friends of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota to enjoy the unique opportunity to visit “The Best of Scotland” and be part of this Official Delegation. A memorable journey with an exciting 12-day itinerary ready for you now!

JOIN US,LET’S MAKE MEMORIES,LET’S MAKE FRIENDS,LET’S MAKE AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY!

For information and details, as well as the next TRIP SOCIAL, please contact